MEP Ruža Tomašić claims the government should react to Slovenia's recent actions regarding the border dispute by deploying the police and armed forces to the maritime border
President of the Croatian Conservative Party and MEP Ruža Tomašić appealed to the government on Thursday to forcefully defend the maritime border with Slovenia, reports Novi list on January 4, 2018.
Tomašić stated the government should react to recent actions of the Slovenian police taken against Croatian fishermen by deploying Croatian police forces and the army to Savudrija.
The Slovenian police recently announced they will be imposing high fines on Croatian fishermen in the Bay of Piran. Tomašić stated she believes the Croatian government has to prevent Slovenia from imposing fines in Croatian waters, instead of just reassuring the fishermen they wouldn't have to pay the steep fees. She called the actions of the Slovenian police illegal, owing to the fact they are taking place in an area which officially remains a part of the Croatian territorial waters until the border dispute has been settled.
"Our police, and even the army if necessary, should react", Tomašić wrote on her website.
She added she thinks it unfortunate that Slovenia opted for "such a one-sided and somewhat crude step", but that "nobody forced them to do it."
"They decided to handle the dispute in a forceful manner, so they need to be handled with force in turn", Tomašić said.
Tomašić appealed to Interior Minister Davor Božinović to "be decisive and show that the Croatian police will not allow anyone to forcibly claim the territory of the Republic of Croatia". She also called on Veterans Affairs Minister Tomislav Medved to be "wise and composed", referring to the ultimatum given to PM Andrej Plenković by the Croatian war veterans earlier today. Petar Janjić Tromblon, a war veteran from Vukovar, sent a letter to the PM, letting him know he has 72 hours to resolve the dispute with Slovenia. Once the deadline has passed, Janjić Tromblon intends to assemble a fleet of 100 fishing ships and war veterans' boats and head to the maritime border with Slovenia.
"You should thank the veterans who are planning such actions for their willingness to sacrifice themselves for their homeland yet again, but also convince them that Croatia, just as every other serious country, has state services and institutions that are up to the task and which should be the only ones resolving such matters", Tomašić concluded.
